Beneath This Man (This Man, #2)(55)

His eyes snap open, his breathing all over the place and a heavy shimmer of sweat has formed a river in the crease on his forehead. His face is pure torture. I almost feel guilty.

‘Ava, all of your pleasure comes from me.’

‘Not today.’ I muse, closing my eyes on a sigh.

‘Ava!’ he barks, clanging the cuffs against the headboard. ‘Fuck! Ava, you’re pushing it!’

I keep my eyes closed. ‘Hmmm.’ I hum, jerking slightly as the consistent vibrations tickle the tip of my clit.

‘I’m thirty seven! For f*ck sake woman, I’m thirty f*cking seven!’

My eyes fly open.

Oh my God!

My mouth drops in shock and the vibrator falls to the bed. He told me? It bloody worked! I want to do a little jig on the bed and scream to the heavens in glory. Why didn’t I think of this before? I’m not going to try and kid myself that I will get away with this again – he’ll probably sleep with one eye open for the rest of his life, so perhaps I should take advantage of his vulnerable state and pump him for some more answers, like where that scar came from, how many women there have been and what the hell the police are doing at The Manor. Oh and the mystery woman and Sarah…

He glares at me, and I’m suddenly yanked straight out of my mental celebration dance and right into panic.

‘Take…the…f*cking…cuffs…off.’ He emphasises each word slowly on a hiss.

Oh bloody hell. In all of my meticulous planning and execution of the truth f*ck, I hadn’t given a second thought to the aftermath. He’s seething mad, and now I’ve got to release him. What is he going to do? I sprint through my options, but it doesn’t take long because there are only two; release him and take my punishment, or leave him handcuffed to the bed forever.

I watch him with wide, cautious eyes as he watches me with dark, furious ones. What am I going to do? I place my hands on his strong thighs and inch myself up his body until my face is hovering above his. I need to lighten his mood.

Smoothing my hands through his hair, I drop my lips onto his. ‘I still love you.’ I mumble around my kiss. Maybe it’s the reassurance he needs. Eleven years is nothing really. What’s the problem? He’s still my handsome, roguish God.

He moans as I give his mouth some extra special treatment. ‘Good, now take the cuffs off.’

I kiss my way to his neck and nuzzle. ‘Are you mad at me?’

‘Fucking crazy mad, Ava!’

I sit up and look at him. He really is crazy mad, and now I’m shitting myself. I give him my best cheeky grin. ‘Can’t you be crazy in love?’

‘I’m that too. Remove the cuffs.’ He looks at me expectantly.

I shift to ease myself up and shudder when his arousal falls to my opening, the throbbing, wet head slipping over my entrance.

He bucks. ‘Damn it, Ava! Take the f*cking cuffs off!’ He is completely deranged and now I know…I’m not taking the cuffs off. I get off the bed and stand at the side, looking at him rage.

‘What are you going to do?’ I ask nervously.

‘Take them off.’ He looks almost murderous.

‘Not until you tell me what you’re going to do.’

His breathing is heavy, his chest expanding. ‘I’m going to f*ck you until you beg me to stop, and then you’re going to run fourteen miles,’ He raises his head and stabs me with ferocious greens. ‘And we won’t be stopping for a muscle rub or a coffee break!’

What? I’ll take the f*ck, but I’m not running anywhere, except out of his penthouse. He’s already made me do ten miles yesterday. That will be his way of regaining control; making me do something that I really don’t want to do, and I definitely don’t want to run fourteen miles.

‘I don’t want to go for a run.’ I state as calmly as I can. ‘You can’t make me.’

His eyebrows jump up. ‘Ava, you need to remember who holds the power in this relationship.’

I back away in disgust and then flick my eyes to his restrained wrists before returning them to him. ‘I’m sorry, who has the power?’ I say in a mocking tone that I really didn’t mean. I am seriously poking the rattle snake, but that little statement has really got my back up.

My sarcasm only serves to notch his fury level up a little more – if that was possible. ‘Ava, I’m warning you!’

‘I can’t believe you’re being so cranky over this. It was okay for you to handcuff me!’

‘I was in control!’ he yells back at me.

Ah! So all of this is just about him being in control? That’s stupid! ‘You’re a power freak!’ I shout back, and he wriggles a little more. ‘I’m going to get a shower.’ I stomp off.

‘I’m only a power freak with you!’ he yells at my back. ‘Ava!’

I slam the bathroom door and remove my bra. The arrogant, power obsessed, controlling arse! My delight in the fact that my truth f*ck worked has been well and truly trampled. I throw myself in the shower and listen to my name being yelled repeatedly. If I wasn’t so affronted, I would laugh. He really doesn’t like not being able to touch me and he really, really doesn’t like relinquishing power.

I shower and brush my teeth at a leisurely rate. It’s still super early. I have plenty of time.